Interlending
of theses within the UK
Dr Jenny Brine, Lancaster University Library
FIL Newsletter, Issue 41, September 2003, pp6-16
Theses and dissertations are the written documents
produced by students at the end of a higher degree or as part
of their undergraduate studies. They are often of great interest
to other researchers because they may:
-
contain details not given in published
articles resulting from the thesis,
-
treat certain aspects of the subject in
greater depth than is possible in a publication.
Generally no more than three or four copies of the typescript
are produced and bound, usually by the university bindery.
Older theses may be carbon copies of the author’s typescript.
Sometimes a dissertation or thesis may contain material that
is commercially, politically or personally sensitive. In these
cases the library may have a copy but will only release it
to a reader in person, on the production of the written permission
of the author or of the author’s department. Such restrictions
are usually indicated in the institution’s OPAC.
Most university libraries have a designated member of staff
who is responsible for the thesis collection.
Undergraduate dissertations
Many undergraduate students write a dissertation, typically
of about 10,000 words, in the final year of their course.
Undergraduate dissertations do not normally contain original
material. University libraries seldom hold undergraduate dissertations
and many departments do not have them either. They are not
listed in bibliographies and indexes. However, they may occasionally
be cited by the author or by others. In general the only way
of acquiring a copy is to make contact with the student direct.
In some cases the department may have an address on file,
or be willing to forward a request.
Taught courses
Most taught postgraduate courses require the submission of
a dissertation after one or two years of study. Many MA, MSc
and MBA courses fall into this category. The dissertation
is often limited to about 20,000 words. At this level the
dissertation may be seen as evidence of the ability to carry
out research, or a preliminary assessment of the research
potential of a topic, rather than original research. Some
universities do require students to deposit a copy of their
dissertation with the university library, and others keep
a copy in the department. Some universities arrange for the
deposit of good dissertations in order to provide an example
for subsequent students. However many universities do not
appear to have any system for even recording the titles of
the dissertations submitted to them. It follows that the bibliographical
control of such dissertations is not systematic, although
some are listed in Index to theses. However, where
general sources fail they may be traced through specialist
bibliographies on particular subjects. One example is the
list of theses in Russian and East European studies in UK
universities, which was published every five years in Oxford
Slavonic Papers and included in the European Bibliography
of Slavic and East European Studies.
Research courses
Theses and dissertations produced by students working for
a research degree are expected to make an original contribution
to knowledge, albeit frequently in a very specialist niche.
They are typically between 80,000 and 100,000 words long and
represent a substantial investment of time and intellectual
resources. Nomenclature for higher degrees varies between
universities, but generally an MPhil thesis is less substantial
than that presented for PhD or DPhil. People who have a PhD
or DPhil are said to have a Doctorate and may use the tile
“Dr”.
The bibliographical control of theses at this level is the
responsibility of Index to theses. Records are available
on-line for 1970 onwards, and in paper form from 1950. Universities
are expected to notify the compilers of PhD, DPhil and MPhil
theses awarded by their institution, and authors of theses
at lower levels do often advise Index to theses of
their work.
Work in progress
Theses and dissertations can take many years to prepare.
Students may start full-time, but be obliged to take up employment
full- or part-time before they can complete their research.
The research councils and universities endeavour to make students
write up promptly, but there are always many postgraduates
around who have “nearly” finished their degree.
Problems arise for interlending staff when our readers assert
that a thesis has been written by a student at a particular
university and we can find no trace of the thesis in that
institution’s OPAC or elsewhere. In these cases the
best we can do is contact that university and ask its Thesis
Officer to ascertain the status of the work, or try to contact
the author direct.
Copyright status
British theses are not published documents, and so the author's
copyright has to be protected by library staff when giving
access to the thesis. This is usually done by requiring the
user to sign a document stating that they recognize that the
copyright in the thesis belongs to its author, and that they
accept limitations on how much of the thesis they may copy
or quote. The wording of the Thesis Declaration Form varies
in accordance with the awarding university's regulations.
Many libraries reinforce this by attaching prominent notices
to the outside of the thesis telling readers they may not
copy the thesis.
British Library Document Supply Centre
The British Library Document Supply Centre has copies of
over 165,000 British PhD/DPhil theses, from 1970 onwards.
At one time BLDSC filmed all PhD/DPhil theses automatically,
but this became too expensive. Now theses are microfilmed
on demand, provided the university that awarded the degree
takes part in the thesis microfilming scheme. Records for
most UK theses held appear on BLPC, and the BL is happy to
respond to any enquiry about the availability of a particular
thesis. Libraries may borrow the microfilm or purchase a bound
printout of the thesis. At present, borrowing a microfilm
costs the same as borrowing a book. A number of British universities
require the reader to sign a Thesis Declaration Form (TDF);
this must be submitted to BLDSC before the film will be sent.
This requirement is reflected in the order number given to
the thesis: those with the order number preceded by DX do
not need a TDF; those preceded by D require one. Full details
of the BLDSC British thesis service are available at: www.bl.uk/britishthesis.
Some British universities have withdrawn from the BLDSC’s
thesis copying scheme, and now supply all requests for theses
which are not already on microfilm at BLDSC. This includes
Bradford, Edinburgh, Leicester (rejoined 2003), Manchester,
UMIST, Manchester Business School and St Andrews.
Loans
Although many requests for theses can be satisfied from BLDSC,
many libraries do wish to borrow a hard copy of a thesis.
Most readers prefer to work from a paper copy in the library
rather than having to use microfilm. Other reasons include:
-
Thesis out of BLDSC scope - e.g. MBA or MPhil
-
Thesis awarded by an institution not participating in
BLDSC microfilming scheme
-
Thesis not yet filmed by BLDSC. As it can take weeks
or even months to get a film made, borrowing the original
is attractive. However, some libraries never lend their
PhDs and will refer all requests to BLDSC.
-
Maps, drawings and illustrations do not reproduce well
on microfilm
-
Reader is visually impaired and can not read microfilm
-
Reader does not have access to a microfilm reader
There is considerable variation between universities in their
policies on lending theses. Some libraries have two copies
of theses and make one available for loan. In the case of
the University of London, one copy of the thesis is retained
by the School or College where the student was based, and
is not available for loan. The second copy is sent to the
University of London Library in Senate House (LO/U-1), and
is available for loan. The theses policies of all UK universities
are summarised in the chart below.
In all cases theses and dissertations are lent FOR LIBRARY
USE only and must be returned by REGISTERED POST or a CONSIGNED/INSURED
SERVICE. It should be noted that very few libraries will lend
theses or dissertations to libraries abroad. Most universities
will require the reader to sign a CDF, which is retained in
the thesis, giving a permanent record of who has consulted
it.
Copies
Many libraries are willing to make photocopies or other copies
of theses for readers. However, there are variations in policy
on whether the author’s permission must be sought in
advance, or a signed TDF sent with the request. In many cases
it may be better to order a copy from BLDSC. Their copies
are bound and may be available more rapidly and at lower cost
than from the university library.
E-theses
At present British universities do not store or make available
their theses in electronic format, although this is done in
certain other countries. There are copyright problems as well
as technological issues to be addressed, but in future UK
theses may well be made available over the web. There is further
information at:
http://www.thesesalive.ac.uk
Library details
The details here were correct as of May 2003. Please notify
me of any corrections so that an updated version may be made
available later if necessary.
Jenny Brine
11.06.04
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